The Indian cricket team refused to collect the 2025 Asia Cup trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This unprecedented step was apparently taken because the trophy was supposed to be handed over by Mohsin Naqvi, who is not only the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) but also the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the interior minister of Pakistan.
India won the match by five wickets. It was a closely contested game, going to the last over, with Tilak Varma’s unbeaten half-century and Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets being the highlights.
There was a huge standoff before the presentation ceremony could begin. For more than a hour, Naqvi stood on the stage with other dignitaries who were supposed to present the other awards.
The Indian team stood nearby and the Pakistani side were in the dressing room. Reportedly, the Indians were told that Naqvi would hand the trophy and they rejected it, saying they didn’t want to interact with him.
Naqvi is said to have stood firm on his stance that, as the chief of the ACC, only he would hand over the trophy. The Indian team was clear that they would have accepted the trophy from someone else but not Naqvi, in their bid not to ‘legitimise’, with complete backing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
It was reported that Naqvi tried to negotiate the stance in that over-an-hour-long standoff, but it didn’t work out. Three Indian players participated when the belated presentation ceremony began, and t: Abhishek Sharma, Tilak and Kuldeep all collected their awards from other dignitaries, spoke to presenter Simon Doull and posed for the cameras as well.
The Pakistan team also came in and collected their runners-up awards from one of the dignitaries. Salman Agha collected a prize from Naqvi and spoke to Doull. Later, when the time came for the Indian team to take the award, Doull announced that the Indian team had decided to not receive their awards, thus concluding the ceremony.
